


Tagging you on the 'gram

by StrawberryLane



Series: Seven minutes in heaven [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Birthday Presents, Build-A-Bear, Established Relationship, Fluff, Food, Instagram, Instagram official, M/M, POV Outsider, Shopping Malls, Social Media, Spying, date days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 08:41:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16155548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawberryLane/pseuds/StrawberryLane
Summary: It’s not like Flash is stalking them – no, really. He just has the worst luck in the entire world. Always stumbling upon Penis Parker and his scary boyfriend.“I’m sorry I missed your birthday,” Barnes says, rocking on his heels. He’s turned his back to the perfume display, instead staring at Peter. “I’ll make it up to you. Promise.”Peter stares right back. “There was an invasion of giant space ants. I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you.”





	Tagging you on the 'gram

**Author's Note:**

> I sure hope the picture shows up. It's made in paint, just in case you're jealous of my awesome skills at photoshop.

It’s not like Flash is stalking them – no, really. He just has the worst luck in the entire world. Always stumbling upon Penis Parker and his scary boyfriend when he least expects it. Like right now, at the mall of all places.

 

They haven’t seen him yet, he thinks. Though with the Winter Soldier you never know – the guy has eyes in the back of his head. So here he is, hiding behind a mannequin wearing a tiny yellow polka dot dress and not much else. The way Flash sees it, he has two options. Option one is walking briskly past the display at which the couple is currently standing pretending he’s both deaf and blind so no awkward attempt at conversation may take place. The second option is to simply stay put and pray to god that Barnes’ soon loses interest in Lady Gaga’s new perfume and moves on.

 

To Flash’s disappointment, it doesn’t look like the couple will be moving away from the display any time soon, so he’s stuck here behind the mannequin, pretending he’s just enormously interested in dresses made for girls age 10-12. And that’s not weird at all.

 

 

“-could have a perfume,” Barnes is saying, Penis hanging onto every boring word that leaves the guy’s mouth. Sure, the guy is a superhero – Flash has to give him that – but he can’t be that interesting, surely? Flash, too, could punch some alien creature every other week and call that his day job. Easy. It’s just – nobody’s asked him yet and he doesn’t really know where you sign up for ‘Becoming a superhero 101’.

 

But seriously, what makes Barnes so special? Why hasn’t Peter gone for someone more interesting? Someone like Captain America? Why settle for the sidekick if you were gonna date an Avenger to begin with? Why not shoot for the stars? Flash would’ve. And he wouldn’t have stopped trying until he reached them.

 

Peter’s been looking happier and happier these past couple of weeks. Smiling from ear to ear. Been wearing clothes too large for him too, clothes that obviously belong to Bucky Barnes. A leather jacket looking like it’s about to fall apart from too much wear, the kind of jacket Penis has never been cool enough to wear before.

 

And now, he’s strutting his stuff like the whole of Manhattan belongs to him.

 

Flash is man enough to admit that he’s kind of jealous. Not much, mind you, but a tiny bit. Peter’s been looking way happier and even more goofy than usual and Flash kind of wants what he has. Not with the Winter Soldier exactly – but someone. He wants to be happily, head over heels in love with someone and have that person feel the same way about him.

 

He’s not asking for much, Flash thinks. Just to meet someone who feels the same about him. Someone he won’t have to pretend with. Because that, Flash realizes as he hides behind the mannequin, is what Peter has found. Nothing about Peter seems to have changed – he’s the same person he is everyday in school. Only here, there’s only the Winter Soldier around. And Peter doesn’t – won’t – hide who he is.

 

“I’m sorry I missed your birthday,” Barnes says, rocking on his heels. He’s turned his back to the perfume display, instead staring at Peter. “I’ll make it up to you. Promise.”

 

Peter stares right back. “There was an invasion of giant space ants. I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you.”

 

Barnes still looks sad. “Still.”

 

“Isn’t that why we’re here, anyway? I think I recall you saying something about, and I quote ‘food court and all you can eat buffet for the birthday boy?”

 

“Don’t forget about the huge ass birthday teddy bear I’m gonna get you. Complete with a I heart Bucky Barnes t-shirt.”

 

Flash watches as Peter loops his arm around Barnes’. “Food first. I’m starving.”

 

“Food first,” Barnes agrees, now grinning from ear to ear.

 

*

It’s not like Flash means to follow them all the way to the food court. It just kinda happens. It’s lunchtime and he’s hungry. And an all you can eat buffet sounds just like what he needs after an all day shopping trip. So he settles in a corner not too far away from the loved up couple who are making an effort, it seems, to seem a little less loved up in public. Barnes practically radiates “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for” while Parker is doing his best to be as invisible as possible without actually being, you know, invisible.

 

Flash thoroughly enjoys his fried chicken, pot pie and pizza, while shopping New Yorkers move all around him. In front of him, Penis eats almost as much as Barnes which is mad, because Barnes eats like a horse. There’s burgers, fries, broccoli salads, pizza with extra cheese, noodles, fried eggs. Ice cream and apple pie. And then they go back for thirds, starting all over again.

 

Flash kind of feels sick just by watching them. How is it possible to fit all that food inside ones stomach without dying?

 

Once the lunch is finished, Barnes produces a small wrapped gift from somewhere on his person. From this angle, Flash can’t see what exactly the gift is, but if Peter’s “Shut up! Dude!” is any indication, Penis is pleased with whatever it is.

 

Barnes shrugs, suddenly looking embarrassed. “I- I thought you might like it. Saw it in a store while gutting a – well, I think it was a fish hybrid of some kind?”

 

And they say romance is dead, Flash thinks.

 

*

 

They really go to Build-A-Bear after lunch and Penis comes back out, carrying a giant teddy bear sporting a gray arm and a shirt that says I <3 Bucky Bear on it. Barnes is honest to god giggling about it. Penis ignores him in favor of carrying the – to quote Barnes from earlier – “huge ass” bear and not accidentally knocking someone down with its paws.

 

Flash looks after them as they disappear in the crowd, in disbelief that he went this entire time without being spotted once. Or rather, he thinks, he’s been allowed not to be noticed. So, as to not jeopardize anything, he turns on his heel and walks the opposite way. Better not tempt fate and all that.

 

*

 

Flash won’t admit to anyone – not even under death threats – that he follows all of the Avengers and Peter on instagram (and even Ned and MJ).

 

When he’s almost home, his phone chimes.

 

 _PeterParker_ just posted photo.

 

It’s a black and white pic of Barnes, staring up into the sky and smiling at something. The caption simply says, “Baby @BamfBarnes.”

 

Somehow, it’s the heart-eyes emoji that drives the point home.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it!


End file.
